The Challenge

C&O Tractors is one of the South’s leading agricultural and construction machinery providers. It supplies machinery, parts and aftersales support to customers across Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight.

The business operates across six depots and supports a workforce of around 60 employees. As a result, it relies on efficient information sharing and consistently high standards of service to keep customers, machinery and operations moving.

When C&O Tractors began its transition to Microsoft 365, Catherine Snow could see opportunities everywhere.

As Group Communications & Systems Manager, Catherine understood the challenges of managing information, administration and communication across six depots in Southern England.

What she needed was the technical confidence to turn ideas into practical solutions. That’s where Cosmic’s Power Platform Skills Bootcamp came in.

The Solution

To build the confidence and capability needed to drive change, Catherine joined Cosmic’s Power Platform Skills Bootcamp.

The course focused on Power Automate and business process automation. It provided practical, hands-on learning that helped her move beyond experimentation and start creating real-world solutions for the business.

Catherine worked with tools already available through Microsoft 365. She learned how to automate workflows, connect systems and streamline repetitive tasks.

Importantly, this did not require wholesale changes to the organisation’s existing infrastructure.

The Impact

Since completing the Skills Bootcamp, Catherine has implemented a range of automated workflows. These now support staff across all six depots.

For example, one machine delivery process uses Jotform and Power Automate to capture customer information, warranty details and delivery records.

Once submitted, the information is automatically distributed and reformatted for different departments. This removes the need for manual administration and reduces the risk of errors.

“Power Automate is the main thing that I’m using because it works with what we’ve got. What I can do now is take information and automatically push it into other systems rather than relying on people to move information manually.”

The impact extends far beyond a single role

By automating routine processes, staff spend less time on administrative tasks. Instead, they can spend more time focusing on their core responsibilities.

The workflows also provide more consistent and accurate information. This helps the business meet manufacturer requirements, prepare for audits and maintain reliable operational records.

“It’s saving people time and just making it easier all around. These systems are making it easier to manage our manufacturers requirements and making people’s lives easier.”

Perhaps most significantly, only one member of staff attended the Skills Bootcamp. However, the benefits are being felt across the entire organisation.

“Only me. They’re not using these tools. They are benefiting from the tools. I’m putting the automations and systems in place and it’s all happening in the background behind them.”

“It’s made a really significant difference to lots of people’s workloads in lots of different ways. I’m trying to do things that makes it easier for everybody else to do their jobs.”

Catherine is also developing a SharePoint-based image library. This will automatically categorise and file submitted photographs, creating further efficiencies for both operational and communications teams.

The Value of Skills Bootcamps

For Catherine, one of the greatest benefits of the Skills Bootcamp was learning alongside professionals from different sectors.

This gave her the chance to share ideas and discover new applications for automation tools.

The programme also helped her identify opportunities she may never have considered otherwise. At the same time, it gave her the practical skills needed to implement change confidently within the business.

“It’s a really fantastic opportunity to increase the skills within your workforce and get the most out of tools that are now a pretty standard part of what’s available in most workplaces.”

“It’s very easy to carry on doing things the way that you’ve always done them, but once you start looking at what these tools can do, it opens your mind to the potential for what you can expand across your workplace. You start to see opportunities for things that are genuinely time-saving and make life easier.”

Looking Ahead

C&O continues to explore opportunities to improve processes, reduce administration and make better use of technology.

For Catherine, the Skills Bootcamp was not the end of the journey. Instead, it was the beginning.

The programme gave her the skills and confidence to continue identifying new opportunities for automation and innovation across the business.

About Skills Bootcamps

Skills Bootcamps are flexible, employer-focused training programmes. They are designed to help individuals and organisations build in-demand digital skills.

Through practical, hands-on learning, participants gain the confidence to apply new knowledge directly within their workplace. In turn, this can help drive productivity, innovation and growth.